harnessing the power of alternative assessment to advance the completion agenda

Harnessing the Power of Alternative Assessment to Advance the Completion Agenda

Eloy Ortiz OakleySuperintendent-President, Long Beach City College

Terrence WillettDirector of Planning and Research, Cabrillo College/ RP Group Researcher

Patrick PerryVice Chancellor, CCCCO

Strengthening Student Success Conference Ocotber 9, 2013

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Transition to College:Assessment and Placement

• CCCs are open enrollment• Requires assessing and planning for

students’ educational needs.• Most colleges rely on standardized

assessment• Most students placed into basic

skills• Placement into basic skills is

significant barrier to completion

LBCC’s Research• Examined five cohorts of more than

7,000 LBUSD grads who attend LBCC directly after high school

• Determined strongest predictors of success in college courses

• Improved alignment of assessment and placement with evidence based predictors of success

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Key Findings1. Standardized tests predict standardized

tests very well but…2. Classroom performance predicts

classroom performance 3. More information tells us more about

our students’ likelihood to succeed

Findings presented real opportunities to significantly improve student placement and achievement, and their college experience

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Reimagining the Transition to College: Fall 2012 Promise

Pathways• Predictive placement model using multi-

method, evidence-based assessment

• Prescriptive, full-time course load via first-semester success plan– Emphasis on Foundational Skills – English, Reading, Math

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Transfer Level English Transfer Level Math0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

11%7%

13%9%

60%

31%

F11 First time students F11 LBUSD F12 Promise Pathways

Alternative placement:Transfer-level Placement Rates

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F2012 Promise Pathways 1-year vs. F2006 6-year rates of achievement

0%10%20%30%40%

5.1%11.9% 12.9%15.0%

41.4%35.9%

9.9%

27.3% 31.2%

F2011 LBUSD (N=1660) F2012 Promise Pathways (N=976)F2006 LBUSD 6 Year Rate 7

Transfer Level English Transfer Level Math0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70% 64%

55%62%

51%

Non-Pathways (n=2095 English, 1803 Math)Promise Pathways (n=516 English, 156 Math)

Success rates in transfer-level courses Fall 2012

Neither of these differences approach significance, p >.30 8

Equity Impact of Promise Pathways: F2011 Baseline Equity Gaps

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1%7% 5%

18%11% 11%

21%

36%

4%11% 11%

29%

10%

22% 22%

31%

F2011 Black F2011 Asian F2011 Hispanic F2011 White

Equity Impact: F2012 Students of Color Compared to F2011 White Baseline

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

6%

28% 28%

53%

15%

44%39%

65%

13%

40%

33%

62%

10%

22% 22%

31%

F2012 Black F2012 Asian F2012 Hispanic **F2011 White

Equity gaps remain but significant gains for all F2012 Students

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

6%

28% 28%

53%

15%

44%39%

65%

13%

40%

33%

62%

29%

57%52%

60%

F2012 Black F2012 Asian F2012 Hispanic **F2011 White

Cohort 1 and 2 Promise Pathways Demographics

African Amer-ican

Asian/PI/Filipino Hispanic White Unknown0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

15% 16%

53%

15%

2%

10% 12%

66%

10%

2%

F2012 (N=976) F2013 (N=1321)

A BRIEF OVERVIEW

The Student Transcript-Enhanced Placement Project (STEPS)

13Harnessing the Power of Alternative Assessment to Advance the Completion Agenda

What Are We Seeking to Do?• Examine the value of using transcripts as part of

the assessment process• Create predictive models using intersegmental

data to study students who had already taken community college courses

• Use models to analyze how well transcript data predicts the first English & math courses students take and how well they do in them

• Recruit colleges to do local analyses to generate campus-specific insights and trigger CCC/K-12 conversations


In Englishtests

predict tests,grades and courses

matter but vary by college

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Cox & Snell pseudo R-square ~ 0.35


0123456789

1011

CST's A-GCourses

HSCourseLevel

HSCourseGrade

HS GPA*

Coun

t of C

olle

ges

Show

ing

Sign

ifica

nce

Predictor Variable Category

Predicting College English Level

Weakest

Intermediate

Strongest

In mathtests

predict tests,but high school

level is also important

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0123456789

1011

CST's A-GCourses

HSCourseLevel

HSCourseGrade

HS GPA*

Coun

t of C

olle

ges

Show

ing

Sign

ifica

nce


Predicting College Math Level

Weakest

Intermediate

Strongest

In English,

gradespredict

grades19

20



0123456789

1011

CST's A-GCourses

HSCourseLevel

HSCourseGrade

HSGPA*

CollegeCourseLevel

Coun

t of C

olle

ges

Show

ing

Sign

ifica

nce


Predicting College English Success

Weakest

Intermediate

Strongest

In math, success

predictors vary by

college21

22



0123456789

1011

CST's A-GCourses

HSCourseLevel

HSCourseGrade

HSGPA*

CollegeCourseLevel

Coun

t of C

olle

ges

Show

ing

Sign

ifica

nce


Predicting College Math Success

Weakest

Intermediate

Strongest

What Does This Mean?• There is a disconnect between test scores

and performance in the first course taken at many institutions

• Using transcript elements would help to refine assessment

• The relative weight of variables might be influenced by local factors, due to considerations such as articulation and curriculum


What Happens Next?• Updating the statewide analysis• Encouraging more colleges to replicate the study

so they understand the value of transcript data for their own students

• Starting conversations about how the study relates to other aspects of developmental education reform—such as alignment, course offerings, and curriculum

• Helping to develop a tool that enables colleges to access high school data to inform multiple measures assessment


Chancellor’s Office Multiple Measure Warehouse Project

Patrick PerryVice Chancellor of Technology,

Research & Information Systems

Common Assessment Project• AB743 passed in 2011 (AB743, Block):

– BOG shall establish a common assessment system to be used as one of multiple measures for placement and advisement

– Ongoing funding provided in 2013-14 budget for project

– RFA to move $$ to district currently underway

Common Assessment Project

• Project intends to:– Identify a common, systemwide assessment for

math, English, ESL– Provide the assessment at no cost to districts for

unlimited usage– Provide for score portability statewide– Create a multiple measures data warehouse to

enhance placement activities

Multiple Measures Warehouse

• Will include:– Outcomes of the common assessments– CCC statewide MIS Enrollment data– EAP scores– CAHSEE scores– All HS math and English enrollment records, GPA’s

• (likely through 11th grade)

Multiple Measures Warehouse

• Application will be written allowing a student “placement profile” to be viewed by student services personnel

• “big data” predictive analytics applied to multiple measures variables to assist in placement effectiveness

Contact Information

• Eloy Ortiz Oakley • [email protected]

• Terrence Willett• [email protected]

• Patrick Perry• [email protected]

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Additional Resources• More information about Long Beach City College's research

– http://bit.ly/PathwaysResearch • More information about the RP Group’s Student Transcript-

Enhanced Placement (STEPS) Project– http://bit.ly/RPSTEPS

• Step by Step process for replicated the research and placement:– http://bit.ly/RPSTEPS2

• Jobs for the Future Report: Where to Begin?: The Evolving Role of Placement Exams for Students Starting College – http://bit.ly/JFFReport

• CCRC research on Assessment, Placement, and Progression in Developmental Education– http://bit.ly/CCRCAssess

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http://bit.ly/PathwaysResearch



http://bit.ly/RPSTEPS

http://bit.ly/RPSTEPS

http://bit.ly/RPSTEPS2



http://bit.ly/JFFReport

http://bit.ly/JFFReport

http://bit.ly/CCRCAssess

harnessing the power of alternative assessment to advance the completion agenda

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